Injuries That Hurt the New York Mets in the First Half

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Not to make excuses, but part of the New York Mets’ struggles during the first half of the season are due to injuries. All teams suffer through injuries, and the good teams are the ones that can survive them, but the Mets simply don’t have the depth in their organization to withstand a series of injuries. Here are the five injuries that have hurt the Mets the most in 2014.

David Wright

Robert Deutsch - USATODAY Sports

David Wright

Robert Deutsch - USATODAY Sports

Technically, Wright never went to the DL, but he missed a week with a shoulder injury just when he was starting to get hot swinging the bat. The Mets lost a lot of close games that week, and Wright's presence could have made a big difference and jump started the team's hot streak sooner.

Bobby Parnell

Steve Mitchell - USATODAY Sports

Bobby Parnell

Steve Mitchell - USATODAY Sports

The Mets' bullpen is fine now, but things were a mess right after Parnell was hurt and forced to undergo Tommy John surgery. Trying to piece things together with aging veterans after Parnell's injury was a disaster and cost the Mets a lot of games that could have been saved if Parnell were healthy. The Mets are now surviving without him, but just imagine if Parnell was still a part of the bullpen in its current state.

Dillon Gee

Brad Penner - USATODAY Sports

Dillon Gee

Brad Penner - USATODAY Sports

Before his recent return, Gee missed two full months, and even though the Mets' rotation has been good, that's a long time to be without their most consistent starter. Daisuke Matsuzaka has been fine, and Rafael Montero had a few good starts too, but the Mets would have been better off with Gee staying in the rotation all season.

Juan Lagares

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Juan Lagares

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Early in the season, Lagares looked poised for a breakout season, possibly an All-Star caliber season, but two separate stints on the DL have prevented that from happening. The absence of Lagares meant more playing time for less productive offensive players and less talented defensive players in center field, most notably Chris Young. He has been terrible, and that has held the Mets back this season.

Matt Harvey

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Matt Harvey

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The Mets' rotation has been good this season, and they clearly have the depth to survive Harvey's injury, but a rotation with Harvey in it would have been much better than a rotation without him. The Mets have had a few losing skids this season that Harvey may have been able to stop, as he's capable of winning a game by himself. As good as the rest of the rotation is, none of the Mets' other starters can say that.

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